Case of the mystery files doesn't make sense
The story of the mystery police files doesn't make sense to me.
It doesn't make sense that there could have been 50 boxes of previously unknown files related to the 1979 Klan/Nazi/CWP shootout hidden away in the police department for 25 years.
It doesn't make sense that, when the Truth & Reconciliation Commission asked for records, someone at the PD decided to trash these shadowy files. If the 50 boxes had been successfully hidden for 25 years, seems like they could have been hidden forever. Gathering a little gang of cops to haul them to the Dumpster would be idiotic.
It doesn't make sense that a "Source" inside the PD would have approached Nelson Johnson just last September with this tale. If this Source, who supposedly witnessed the disposal of the files, thought something was amiss, he could have, should have and almost certainly would have said something when it was happening or immediately thereacter. Like, calling the TRC and saying, "You might want to check out the Dumpster behind the police station."
It doesn't make sense the way police and city leaders have responded to this allegation, on one hand calling it an unverified rumor that they can't check out for legal reasons while on the other hand saying they're conferring with the DA's office about possible violations of law.
I don't understand what possible violation of law there could be regarding the disposal of 25-year-old files, if such a thing happened. It would not be illegal to trash old records unless there were some "controlling legal authority," as Al Gore would say, to require that the files be kept. Like a court order. But that can't be the case because the city says it doesn't know anything about any such files.
It would be obstructionist to get rid of files that the TRC was asking for, but it wouldn't be illegal. There was no subpoena for them; there couldn't have been because, apparently, there was no record of the records.
Finally, it doesn't make sense that, just to clear everything up, city officials wouldn't simply ask some questions within the department about all this. One officer, although not the Source, was named by Nelson Johnson and his colleagues -- Craig McMinn. It shouldn't require a court order to ask him, "Hey, do you know anything about this?" Speculation about "pleading the Fifth" just makes this look like a potential criminal matter when there's little reason to think there's any criminal activity here at all. Then, it should be very simple to identify all the officers who reported to McMinn at or about the time this incident supposedly took place and ask them about it. One of them would have to be the Source. Either the Source would muster up the integrity to make his allegation openly or he wouldn't. If he did, a proper investigation could proceed; if he didn't, then everyone could conclude this was a phony, contrived accusation from the start. Case closed.
Does this make sense to anyone else?
Comments (9)
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Doug, I completely agree this doesn't pass the smell test. So do a lot of people, I believe.
Which is why I can't figure out why the N&R played this up like it was a huge news story and both John Robinson and Allen Johnson are talking this up like it was some huge development.
Now, I don't expect you to criticize your employer or your bosses. But it sounds like our thinking is along the same lines -- this was a questionable story at best that merited much more investigation before it became news.
And that doesn't even take into account the fact that 99 percent of Greensboro couldn't care less about the Nazi-Communist shootout and is tired of hearing about it in the local newspaper.
Posted on February 28, 2008 11:38 AM
I can't figure out why no one (media, city officials, anyone who could get it into the public record) appears to have asked McMinn.
Mayor Keith Holliday, City Manager Mitch Johnson, and Police Chief Tim Bellamy were all informed in October that that these 50 boxes were thrown away and were told then that Sgt. Craig McMinn gave the order. The ministers said yesterday that their source, an active duty police officer, suggested that Sgt. McMinn would not lie if asked whether he gave the order but would tell the truth.
So my question is: why has no one asked McMinn?!?
He can respond and say ?its true, I gave the order,? or ?its false, there were no 50 boxes destroyed,? or plead the fifth. The GPD can invoke the Garrity Rule and he can testify with immunity.
Doug, why not ask Craig McMinn, on the record, yourself?
Posted on February 28, 2008 11:47 AM
The allegation is news. The fact is that the 1979 shootings were a huge event in Greensboro's history and the idea that information about those events might have been deliberately destroyed by the police department to keep them from the TRC would be sensational, if true. That's why the allegation needed to be looked into and not brushed aside. It might have been very easy for the city to ask some questions and then conclude there's nothing to it: end of story.
If we had simply not covered the news conference, the facts would still be the same.
Posted on February 28, 2008 11:49 AM
I did call Lt. McMinn yesterday. He declined to speak with me.
Posted on February 28, 2008 11:51 AM
"I did call Lt. McMinn yesterday. He declined to speak with me."
Now, that's a story.
Posted on February 28, 2008 2:01 PM
He could have any number of reasons for not speaking to the media, and I wouldn't speculate about what they might be or what it means.
Posted on February 28, 2008 2:13 PM
Doug, Has it occurred to anyone that everything this group has done, at least in the past four years that I have been in Greensboro, makes no sense? There was of course the biased and sensational Truth and Reconciliation Report which was snubbed by all of Greensboro, then there was the Declaration of Intolerable Racism that our current honorable Mayor signed and stood up for even tho she herself had voted for and participated in activities that were now being called "intolerable. Her answer for doing this, "You don't have to agree with everything...". Then we were treated to the march wherein there were more reporters than marchers. Given just these few actions by The Pulpit Forum I am dumbfounded as to why and how these people are given any attention at all by the media or anyone else. Well I should rephrase that since they aren't given any attention by anyone but the media.
I would like to have the N&R cover the next dog fight to take place Randleman Road if they would as I am sure this will garner a lot more interest by the public. And it would make a whole lot more sense! Brenda Bowers
Posted on February 28, 2008 2:26 PM
Thanks, Brenda. I agree that how this episode is resolved will impact the Pulpic Forum's credibility, as certain past actions have.
You must be including the blogosphere among the media because there seems to be a lot of interest in this story among all of us folks.
Posted on February 28, 2008 2:34 PM
One thing is obvious here, Sgt. McMinn was set-up to take a fall in this farce. He is the only named individual in the police department involved. The Source can't be named as it might compromise his job, but what the heck, McMinn is exposable. Of course, it appears that he is the only white person in the story, so he is easily deposed. Watch your back, Sgt. McMinn.
Posted on February 28, 2008 11:04 PM